Speaking to journalists in Deir al Balah on Saturday, Jonathan Whittall, who heads the UN humanitarian coordination office (OCHA) in Gaza and the West Bank, said: “The attempt to survive is being met with a death sentence.”

Since Israel eased its total blockade last month, more than 400 people are reported to have died trying to reach food distribution points.

Mr. Whittall said humanitarian agencies are capable of reaching every family in the shattered enclave but are being systematically blocked. “We have a plan…but we are prevented from doing so at every turn.”

He described the situation as “weaponised hunger”, “forced displacement”, and “a death sentence for people just trying to survive”.

“This is carnage,” Mr. Whittall said. “It appears to be the erasure of Palestinian life from Gaza.”

He urged the international community to act: “We need a lasting ceasefire, accountability, and real pressure to stop this. This is the bare minimum.”